NFL announces Bills-Bengals won’t be resumed, AFC playoff seeding scenarios

The NFL announced that #Bills-#Bengals won’t be resumed & has been canceled. They’ve also proposed the AFC title game be held at a neutral site under certain scenarios.

The NFL has revealed its plans for AFC playoff seeding in the wake of the tragic event that took place during the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals game on Monday night.

Firstly, the NFL has confirmed that the Bills-Bengals game will not be resumed and has been canceled. Secondly, the league will consider a neutral site for the AFC Championship Game under certain conditions. Here is the NFL’s full press release:

The NFL announced today that the Week 17 Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals game will not be resumed and has been cancelled.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed all clubs of his decision earlier today, after speaking with the Bills, the Bengals and NFL Players Association leadership.

“This has been a very difficult week,” Goodell said. “We continue to focus on the recovery of Damar Hamlin and are encouraged by the improvements in his condition as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care for Damar and his family from across the country. We are also incredibly appreciative of the amazing work of the medical personnel and commend each and every one of them.”

Among the key factors in arriving at this decision:

Not playing the Buffalo-Cincinnati game to its conclusion will have no effect on which clubs qualify for the postseason. No club would qualify for the postseason and no club will be eliminated based on the outcome of this game.

It would require postponing the start of the playoffs for one week, thereby affecting all 14 clubs that qualify for postseason play.

Making the decision prior to Week 18 is consistent with our competitive principles and enables all clubs to know the playoff possibilities prior to playing the final weekend of regular season games.

Cancelling the game between the Bills and Bengals creates potential competitive inequities in certain playoff scenarios. In an effort to mitigate those inequities, NFL clubs will consider tomorrow in a Special League Meeting a resolution recommended by the Commissioner and approved today by the Competition Committee, consisting of two elements:

The AFC Championship Game will be played at a neutral site if the participating teams played an unequal number of games and both could have been the number one seed and hosted the game had all AFC clubs played a full 17-game regular season. Those circumstances involve Buffalo or Cincinnati qualifying for the game as a road team and are listed below:

Scenario 1

Buffalo and Kansas City both win or both tie – a Buffalo vs Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.

Scenario 2

Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Baltimore wins or ties – a Buffalo vs Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.

Scenario 3

Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Cincinnati wins – a Buffalo or Cincinnati vs Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.

If Baltimore defeats Cincinnati in Week 18 it will have defeated Cincinnati, a divisional opponent, twice but will not be able to host a playoff game because Cincinnati will have a higher winning percentage for a 16-game schedule than Baltimore will for a 17-game schedule.

If Baltimore defeats Cincinnati and if those two clubs are schedule to play a Wild Card game against one another, the site for that game would be determined by a coin toss. If Cincinnati wins the Week 18 game or if Baltimore and Cincinnati are not scheduled to play one another in the Wild Card round, the game sites would be determined by the regular scheduling procedures.

“As we considered the football schedule, our principles have been to limit disruption across the league and minimize competitive inequities,” Goodell said. “I recognize that there is no perfect solution. The proposal we are asking the ownership to consider, however, addresses the most significant potential equitable issues created by the difficult, but necessary, decision not to play the game under these extraordinary circumstances.”

So how does this all impact Kansas City? With a win against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18, they would be the AFC’s No. 1 seed based on winning percentage. Under the league’s proposed resolution, it’s possible that the Chiefs could be the AFC’s No. 1 seed and would not play host to the AFC title game based on their opponent.

Here is what all of the neutral site scenarios would look like:

14-3 Chiefs vs. 13-3 Bills would be played at a neutral site
13-4 Chiefs vs. 12-4 Bills would be played at a neutral site
13-4 Chiefs vs. 12-4 Bengals would be played at a neutral site

The league will hold a special league meeting with NFL owners on Friday to discuss, approve, disapprove or potentially modify the proposed resolution.

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Ravens to face Titans in Wild-Card round of AFC playoffs

With Week 17 finished in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens will have to play the Tennessee Titans to open the AFC playoffs seeding

The Baltimore Ravens took care of their own business, beating up on the hapless Cincinnati Bengals Sunday to close out the regular season. By beating Cincinnati, Baltimore locked themselves into the AFC playoff seeding. But it took the evening games concluding to determine who the Ravens would play in the Wild-Card bracket.

With the dust settled in Week 17, Baltimore’s playoff picture is now clear. The Ravens have officially clinched the fifth seed and will take on the Tennessee Titans, who claimed the No. 4 seed with their Week 17 win over the Houston Texans.

This is a perfect opportunity for Baltimore to get two albatrosses off its back. A frequent criticism of quarterback Lamar Jackson has been his lack of postseason success, going 0-2 in the playoffs during his first two years in the league. Also, the Titans were the team that knocked the Ravens out of the postseason last year. Though Baltimore’s players and coaches have been hesitant to talk about the seriousness of the matchup, there’s no doubt this game will mean a great deal to the Ravens on a few different levels.

It’s unclear right now exactly what the schedule will be for the playoffs but Baltimore is in it and will take on Tennessee for the first game on what the Ravens hope is the road to Super Bowl LV.

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AFC playoff picture: Ravens barely holding onto playoff berth after Week 10

Results in Week 10 have had a major bearing on the AFC playoff picture, with the Baltimore Ravens falling down the pecking order.

The top of the AFC playoff picture didn’t change much in Week 10. The Pittsburgh Steelers tightened their grip on the conference with another win while the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills stayed still during their bye week. But there was plenty of shifting at the bottom of the AFC playoff picture, seeing significant changes impacting the other playoff berths.

The Baltimore Ravens dropped down significantly following their Week 10 loss to the New England Patriots. While they were held at No. 5 entering the week thanks to the Steelers’ undefeated record putting them in the lead of the AFC North, they were nearly pushed out of the seeding after Sunday.

Let’s see how the AFC playoff picture looks following Week 10, with standings courtesy of Tankathon.

AFC playoff picture: A new leader of the pack after Week 6

If the season were to end today, the Pittsburgh Steelers would rule the roost in the AFC while the Baltimore Ravens would be a wild card.

Though history says the Baltimore Ravens’ impressive 5-1 record points to Super Bowl glory, the Ravens’ first task includes just getting into the postseason. But as Baltimore enters its Week 7 bye, it’s right in the thick of the AFC playoff picture.

With Week 6 formally concluded after a Monday night doubleheader, the playoff picture continues to take shape, especially in the AFC. This conference now boasts two of the last three unbeaten teams in 2020. With only one team earning a first-round bye in the playoffs landing that No. 1 seed is more important than ever before.

Let’s see how the AFC playoff picture looks following Week 6.

AFC playoff picture – Week 7

Seed	Team	Record
1	Pittsburgh Steelers	5-0
2	Tennessee Titans	5-0
3	Kansas City Chiefs	5-1
4	Buffalo Bills	4-2
5	Baltimore Ravens	5-1
6	Cleveland Browns	4-2
7	Indianapolis Colts	4-2

The Indianapolis Colts are now in the playoff picture after improving to 4-2 with their win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. This victory has knocked the Las Vegas Raiders out of their spot, although the Raiders were on a bye in Week 6.

Week 7 should have massive implications for the whole AFC with the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Tennessee Titans. This battle of two 5-0 teams will see one extend their lead at the top of the conference, while the other must come down and join the dogfight with the rest of the playoff-caliber teams.

Despite boasting a 5-1 record, the Ravens would still go on the road in the first round of the playoffs, taking on the Buffalo Bills. The Bills may have lost their last two games, but they lead the AFC East with a 4-2 record due to the improved play of quarterback Josh Allen. The Ravens’ one defeat means they are looking up at the Steelers in the AFC North standings, and will therefore probably be hoping for a Titans win this weekend.

Things are undoubtedly going to continue jockeying around over the final few months of the regular season. But as it stands right now, the Ravens are firmly in the AFC playoff picture after Week 6.

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AFC playoff picture: Ravens in the thick of things after Week 5

The AFC playoff seeding is beginning to take shape. If the regular season ended today, here’s what the Baltimore Ravens would stand.

Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season is finally in the books after the schedule was stretched out to Tuesday night to accommodate the Tennessee Titans’ coronavirus outbreak. With most teams now at least a quarter of the way through their regular-season schedule, something approaching a true picture of the NFL’s playoff seeding is beginning to emerge.

Though there are still 12 more weeks of regular-season games scheduled, the AFC playoff picture is getting a little clearer. The good teams are beginning to rise to the top of the conference while the bad teams are creating lists of candidates for their vacant coaching and general manager positions. The Baltimore Ravens are right in the thick of the mix and if the season were to end today, they’d hold the No. 5 seed.

AFC playoff picture — Week 6

Seed	Team	Record
1	Tennessee Titans	4-0
2	Pittsburgh Steelers	4-0
3	Kansas City Chiefs	4-1
4	Buffalo Bills	4-1
5	Baltimore Ravens	4-1
6	Cleveland Browns	4-1
7	Las Vegas Raiders	3-2

The fact three AFC North teams are currently slated to be in the playoffs right now speaks to the quality of the division and Baltimore’s most frequent opponents.

Under the new playoff format, introduced this season, only the top-seeded team in each conference will receive a bye. So at present, the Tennessee Titans would get the extra rest while the other six teams faced off on Wild Card Weekend.

Under the current standings, the fifth-seed Ravens would go on the road in the first round of the playoffs to take on Josh Allen and the fourth-seed Buffalo Bills. While Baltimore has more playoff pedigree than Buffalo in their recent histories, both teams would be seeking a first career playoff victory for their starting quarterbacks. Allen lost his first postseason game last January, while Lamar Jackson has started 0-2 in the playoffs since 2018.

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Here’s how the Ravens can clinch the No. 1 seed in Week 16

The Ravens simply need to win and they’ve locked up the No. 1 seed but don’t even need to do that to ensure they’re the top AFC seed

The Baltimore Ravens didn’t get any help from the rest of the league in their quest to lock up the AFC’s top seed in the playoffs. But they still control their fate at 12-2 and can officially clinch their top spot in Week 16.

The Ravens needed both the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots to lose in Week 15 while beating the New York Jets on Thursday night. Though Baltimore handled their business, defeating New York 42-21 in another blowout win, both the Chiefs and Patriots easily handled their poor competition as well.

With all eyes on Week 16, the Ravens can continue their march to the top of the postseason seeding simply by beating the Cleveland Browns. A win would put them at 13-2, and with just one game remaining, not enough time for any other team to surpass them.

The Browns are fresh off a loss to the Arizona Cardinals and sit at 6-8. While Cleveland isn’t eligible to make the postseason yet again (their 10th consecutive season without a playoff berth) and have been inconsistent this season, anyone thinking they’ll be an easy win would be foolish. The Browns beat up on Baltimore back in Week 4, 40-25 — the last loss the Ravens have had this season.

But that’s not the only way Baltimore can lock up the No. 1 seed in Week 16. Below are the other scenarios for this week.

Ravens clinch No. 1 seed:

1) Ravens beat Browns

1) Browns beat Ravens
AND
2) Bears beat Chiefs
AND
3) Bills beat Patriots

Ravens clinch No. 2 seed:

1) Browns beat Ravens
AND
2) Bears beat Chiefs

1) Browns beat Ravens
AND
2) Bills beat Patriots

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Week 15 rooting guide: Ravens need a little help to lock up top playoff seeding

The Baltimore Ravens need a little bit of help from other teams to lock in the top seed in the AFC playoff picture. Here’s who to root for.

The Baltimore Ravens have already played their Week 15 game, defeating the New York Jets 42-21 on Thursday night. That gives them and all Ravens fans a chance to sit down on Sunday and watch the rest of the league.

With the playoffs getting sorted out, Baltimore has quite a few teams to root for this week. From who they could see in the postseason to potentially locking up the No. 1 seed this week, it’s a great week to watch football.

Here are the three teams you should be rooting for in Week 15

New England Patriots (10-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-12)

Rooting for: Bengals

This is a tall order to ask a team that has won just one game this season to dethrone one of the best teams in the league. But we’ve seen odder things happen before and Baltimore could really use this game, so we’re stuck rooting for Cincinnati.

A New England loss would guarantee the Ravens a top-2 seed. But it’s also just one part of what Baltimore needs to lock up the No. 1 seed. Not to mention, seeing the Patriots drop yet another game right before the playoffs is never a bad thing. It could help give the Ravens more positive game film to base any potential rematch on.

New England’s offense has been pretty cold this season, failing to get much momentum going on the ground or through the air. The Patriots have yet to see one of their running backs top 100 rushing yards in a game. Meanwhile, quarterback Tom Brady has seen 29 drops from his targets this season, topping last year’s total already.

The Bengals might not have a lot going for them, but they seem to have a better hold on what talent they do have. Finally switching back to Andy Dalton at quarterback, Cincinnati topped 450 total offensive yards last week and could be a good test against the Patriots’ defense.

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